Stupor Mundi

Directed by Rock Ross

This delightful silent short parodies feature films that flash the names of the big stars ("Liberty," "Justice" and "Death") before the title card, STUPOR MUNDI, appears. In something of a cross between a Keystone Kops comedy and an Edwin S. Porter melodrama, Lady Liberty, Justice (with her blindfold and scale) and Death form a love triangle, with fickle Death getting his comeuppance in the end. The marvelous musical soundtrack by Nik Phelps and live audience reactions to the film make this a warm and fuzzy experience, despite the archetypal gravity of the main characters.